Thomasville wants to make their water "greener"

THOMASVILLE, GA (WALB) –Thomasville is one of seven Georgia communities that will get money to finance a green water system.

The $2,250,000 loan is part of Governor Sonny Perdue's vision for sustainable economic development.

Water. It's an essential part of everyday living. And Thomasville is looking to make it a little greener.

"Water is a finite resource. No one's making any more water than we already have," explains Thomasville Assistant Manager of Utilities Don Atkinson. "We want to conserve that and not run it into the ground."

So city officials applied for and received one of only 7 Georgia Environmental Finance Authority low-interest loans to revamp their water infrastructure.

"We have quite an old infrastructure with many of our meters well over 15-20 years old," Atkinson explains.

The city's Assistant Manager of Customer Service Lynn Williams adds, "Whenever we looked at the water project, we saw that as a real opportunity to do something really good for the community."

Thomasville will use its share of the total 6.9-million dollars awarded to replace or upgrade the city's water meters with automated meter readers early next year.

"We'll be able to look at usage for instance in a residential class from 2-4 AM when typically there's no usage, so we'll be able to analyze intervals like that and report back to the customers," Atkinson says.

"Folks that may have leaks they don't know about, we're gonna be able to find those leaks and let them know about them," Williams explains. "We're also going to conserve water and that's a great thing, not just for our community, but the whole region."

City leaders believe the project is an investment in its future.

"I think Thomasville has always been proactive," Williams believes. "We always look for a way to better serve our community and do things that are right for the community. It's the place we live and call home and we want it to be the best it can be."

By making sure not one drop of its resources goes down the drain.

Thomasville will pay three-percent interest on the 15-year GEFA loan. But as a green project, 50-percent of the principal drawn will be forgiven.